


Right Here

by triste



Category: Soukyuu no Fafner | Fafner in the Azure
Genre: Fluff, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-21
Updated: 2012-11-21
Packaged: 2017-11-19 05:09:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/569462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/triste/pseuds/triste
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Soushi pays a visit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Right Here

Title: Right Here  
Author: Triste  
Fandom: Soukyuu no Fafner  
Pairing: Soushi/Kazuki  
Rating: PG  
Status: Complete  
Disclaimer: Not mine

~~

Although he'd been inside Soushi's room before, this was the first time Kazuki had turned up uninvited. He'd asked for Soushi's whereabouts upon entry into Alvis and had been informed by Yumiko that he was currently taking a break, so Kazuki had decided to try his luck with Soushi's sleeping quarters. Although he'd been hoping to find Soushi there, it was still something of a surprise when the door slid open seconds after he'd knocked on it. Kazuki's startled expression was mirrored on Soushi's face when he saw who the visitor was, and he seemed at a loss for what to do with himself for a second or two, then stepped aside and gestured for Kazuki to enter the room. 

"Have a seat."

Kazuki did so, and then once Soushi had closed the door again, he offered up the small box that he'd been carrying. "I thought you might be hungry, so I brought you this." Soushi stared down at him wordlessly. "You don't have to take it if you don't want to, though. I was just worried that you might not be eating properly, so I made an extra lunch before I went out this afternoon." Kazuki looked away, slightly embarrassed. "If you don't want it, I can always give it to Toomi."

"There's no need for that. I’ll take it." Soushi held out his hand expectantly and Kazuki gave him what he was asking for.

"It's not anything fancy," he said hastily. "If I'd had more time I would have made something better, but-"

"This is fine," Soushi interrupted, picking up his chopsticks and taking in a small bite of rice. "It's better than fine."

Kazuki looked hopeful. "Does it taste good?"

Soushi took another bite, and then nodded solemnly. "It tastes very good."

Kazuki smiled and continued to watch as Soushi ate, allowing him to finish his lunch in silence. Once he was done, Soushi wrapped the empty box up with as much care as he'd taken to undo it, then passed it back to Kazuki with a curt nod. "Thank you for the meal."

"You're welcome. But didn't you want anything to drink with it?"

"There is a vending machine eleven steps from this room. If I-"

"That's not what I meant. Wouldn't you rather drink something else for a change? Something that doesn't come out of a can?"

Soushi looked mildly offended. "I drink water, as well as juice. Two litres a day, in fact. It's the recommended intake for all human beings."

"I know, but..." Kazuki cleared his throat awkwardly. "What about tea? Real tea, that comes out of an actual teapot. Why don't you come over to my house sometime? Not just for tea, but for dinner as well. Of course, if you're busy-"

"I accept your invitation. If it is your tea, then I’ll drink it."

"Then I'll be sure to make preparations for three instead of two. Is tomorrow okay with you? Around seven o'clock?"

"That would be most convenient." Soushi paused, then frowned. "You're feeling uneasy. There’s still something that you have yet to say. Am I right?"

Kazuki averted his gaze and cleared his throat. "I was just wondering if everything was all right. I mean, I know you take a lot of medication and all, and... well, you're not in any pain, are you?"

"My vital signs are normal, my heart rate is-"

"That's not what I wanted to hear, Soushi. Are you feeling okay? Right now, at this moment? Is everything good?"

Soushi nodded. "It's good. I'm fine."

"That's a relief. I just worry sometimes, you know?" Kazuki smiled and rose to his feet. "Anyway, I'd better be going. Just call me if you need anything, okay? I'll see you tomorrow, if we don't bump into each other before then."

~~

The next day, Soushi arrived at the Makabe residence at 7pm exactly. He knocked on the door, and then waited expectantly for someone to answer him. He frowned slightly when he heard raised voices coming from inside, and when he received no response after yet another knock he hesitantly slid the door open and let himself inside.

"What are you doing? Don't put it down *there*!"

"But this is where our usual table always goes! What's wrong with placing it here?"

"Because there's no room! Move it further out to the left. It won't take up as much space if you do that."

The scene that Soushi walked in on was bewildering to say the least. Fumihiko was busy pushing a table from one spot to the next while Kazuki stood in the doorway of the kitchen and waving his soup ladle in a criticising fashion. "Sorry for the intrusion," Soushi said uncertainly.

Kazuki glanced over at him in alarm. "Soushi! I wasn't expecting you so soon! Is it seven already?"

Soushi nodded affirmatively. "No one came when I knocked, so I let myself in. Is that a problem?"

"No, not at all. We would have been ready sooner only we had trouble finding a bigger table. The one we always use is just for two, so I sent Dad out to find another."

"I spent the last half hour cleaning this thing, too," Fumihiko grumbled. "You could have at least said 'thank you' for all the trouble I went to."

"It's an important occasion, otherwise I wouldn't have made you do it," Kazuki told him firmly. "Now, stop complaining and get the mats out."

"Since when have mealtimes been so special?"

"Since I invited Soushi over to eat. I just wanted everything to be nice for a change." Kazuki smiled sheepishly when he noticed Soushi’s awkwardness. "Sorry for the inconvenience. Make yourself comfortable. Dinner is almost ready."

"It's a 'special occasion', apparently," Fumihiko told Soushi as he took a seat. "He wouldn't even let me help out with the food."

"And why would I?" Kazuki called from the kitchen, having obviously been listening in on their conversation. "I can't trust a man who doesn't know to wash rice before he eats it!"

Fumihiko looked affronted at being chastised by his teenaged son, and in front of company, no less. Kazuki was all sweetness and smiles when he returned, though, and he worked quickly and efficiently as he served out the food. "You really did make an effort," he said accusingly. "I can't even remember the last time we ate this well."

"Don't be difficult. You get this kind of treatment every single day, but Soushi doesn't have anyone to care for him."

Fumihiko was not appeased. "So you're shunting me aside in favour of Soushi-kun?"

"It's not like that at all! I just-" Kazuki looked away, his cheeks tinged pink. "I just wanted to do something nice for Soushi. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

Soushi didn't even try to hide his surprise. "You really did all this for me?"

"You should visit every day, if that's the case," Fumihiko announced resolutely. "Then we'd get to eat better meals."

"Dad, stop complaining when have no idea how much effort it is to be a homemaker."

Fumihiko patted Kazuki on the shoulder. "And that is where your true talent lies."

"Not in piloting?" Kazuki asked in a hurt tone of voice. "Or in academics?"

"I believe that Kazuki is the type of person who excels at anything he tries his hand at," Soushi cut in. "He just needs to have more confidence in himself. Then he would easily achieve his full potential."  
Fumihiko nodded. "That's what I've been trying to tell him for years. It's no good for a man to be so meek. He needs to be more assertive every once in a while."

Kazuki bopped his father over the head with the ladle he'd been carrying earlier. "Don't talk about me like I'm not even here."

"Take back that comment about me being hopeless and I'll think about it."

Their banter came to an unexpected stop when they registered the quiet chuckles coming from Soushi's side of the table, and Kazuki stared over at him cautiously. "Is something wrong? Are you okay?"  
Soushi merely smiled. "The atmosphere in this house is very good."

Kazuki and Fumihiko exchanged confused glances with each other, then shrugged and went back to their meal. Kazuki busied himself afterwards by cleaning up in the kitchen and he only stuck his head back out when he noticed Fumihiko slipping into his jacket. "Are you going somewhere?"

"I thought I'd head over to see Mizoguchi, so I might not be back until late. Lock up behind me, okay?"  
"Don't get drunk."

"Mizoguchi doesn't drink!"

"No, but you do. Try not to embarrass yourself in public."

Fumihiko shook his head with a sigh, but Kazuki called out to him again before he could even reach the front door.

"It’s chilly outside, so put a sweater on first.”

"It's not that cold. I'll survive."

"Dad, wait!" Fumihiko turned with a 'what now?' expression, but Kazuki only smiled and waved in his direction. "Have a safe trip."

Fumihiko smiled back, in spite of himself. "Sure thing. You kids have fun while I'm gone."

Kazuki finished up in the kitchen, and he had to smile when he returned to the sitting room and placed the tray that he'd been carrying down onto the table.

"I promised you tea yesterday, didn't I?" he said, as Soushi observed him curiously. "We can do whatever you want after this. We could watch TV for a while or play a game... It's up to you, really." He filled Soushi's cup first, then handed it over before pouring out one for himself, waiting for Soushi to take a drink before making a start on his own. Soushi hesitated, though, and Kazuki spoke up uncertainly. "Is it not to your liking?"

"No, it's not that." Soushi lowered his gaze in embarrassment. "I'm just not used to being treated like this."

"You heard what Dad said earlier," Kazuki reminded him. "You can come over anytime you want. You don't need a reason in order to invite yourself. Just being here with you like this is enough to make me happy."

"My presence really has that sort of effect?"

Kazuki nodded. "It's nice to spend time together like this. Don't you think so?"

Soushi gave him one of his rare genuine smiles. "In that case, I’ll be sure to visit more often from now on."

The longer Soushi stayed at the Makabe residence the more he seemed to loosen up, and he actually laughed for the first time since Kazuki could remember after his seventh consecutive defeat of their card game.

"I warned you I’d be bad at this," he said defensively as Soushi continued to show his amusement.

"But you're not a sore loser and I’m enjoying my winning streak," Soushi replied, looking more than a little proud of himself as he worked on shuffling the deck. "We ought to play again."

"I'm tired of losing all the time," Kazuki groaned as he rolled onto his back. "You told me that I needed to show more confidence, but it's hard to do that when you keep beating me time and time again." Then he frowned when he caught sight of the clock on the wall. "Wanna stay over here tonight? It's getting pretty late. It's also better than being all alone at Alvis, isn't it? Don't worry about a change of clothing. You can borrow something of mine."

Soushi crossed his arms over his chest and trained his gaze at a spot just above Kazuki's shoulder. "If setting up sleeping arrangements would be so troublesome, then I suggest that we share instead."

Kazuki seemed taken-aback momentarily, then nodded in agreement. "Is this really what you want?"

"Yes. It would please me very much."

In spite of all that, however, Soushi seemed to be somewhat nervous as they prepared for bed, and Kazuki didn't miss the fact that he was spending an inordinate amount of time in the bathroom just washing his face and cleaning his teeth.

The door opened up before Kazuki could actually voice his concerns, and he listened to the sound of Soushi's feet padding down the hallway before the door of his bedroom slid open and Soushi stepped inside. He was dressed in one of Kazuki's spare yukata and Kazuki couldn't help smiling a little at Soushi's uneasy expression.

"It looks good on you," he said helpfully as Soushi closed the door behind him. Soushi looked doubtful, but Kazuki merely rolled over onto his side. "Turn the light off, would you?"

Soushi did as requested, snapping off the switch and making his way slowly over to where Kazuki was waiting. He paused for a second or two, then gingerly pulled back the covers and sliding underneath them, making himself comfortable before going completely still.

It was actually kind of comforting to feel Soushi lying behind him, even if he did seem tense somehow. Kazuki thought about saying something to make him feel at ease, but then decided against it. Soushi had never liked pointless words, and if Kazuki chose to say something inane to him right now, it would probably only serve to make Soushi feel more anxious, so he stayed silent instead, allowing Soushi to relax in his own time.

Things were so quiet and peaceful that Kazuki had begun to drift a little. The sound of Soushi's steady breathing had lulled him into a state of slumber, but he was quickly jerked awake again when an arm snaked over his waist.

He sat bolt upright in shock and when he turned to see Soushi, it was to find him looking equally embarrassed and guilty about he'd just done. "Sorry," he stammered, backing away. 

Kazuki reached out and grasped Soushi's fingers. "Don't go. Stay."

Soushi stared down at their joined hands. "You're not angry?"

"No, just startled. I never thought you'd want to... well, you know..."

"I do. I want to. But only if it's what you want, too."

Kazuki released Soushi's hand, ignoring the hurt expression that flitted across his face as he settled himself back down onto his side. This time was different, though. He was facing Soushi rather than lying with his back to him, and he shifted closer so that their bodies were touching. He carefully guided Soushi's arm to where it had been before, then went still again. "Better now?"

Soushi's voice was so soft that Kazuki could only just make out what he was saying. "Will you still be here when I wake up?"

"I will," Kazuki promised. "I'll be right here waiting for you."

End.


End file.
